Overview
- The second edition of the Starfish barometer, released Monday, reports that global ocean health has worsened and that several key measures show an increase in the pace of change.
- The report counted 1,685 marine species now threatened with extinction, an increase of eight from the prior year.
- It found a record 84.4% of coral reefs experienced severe thermal stress leading to bleaching and that the rate of sea-level rise doubled for 2012–2025 compared with earlier decades, trends that threaten fisheries and coastal protection.
- Global marine protected areas now cover just over 10% of the ocean but only 3.2% of those areas are under high or full protection, leaving the 30% by 2030 target far out of reach.
- France announced new highly protected marine zones that raise its strong-protection coverage to 14.68% and experts note the high-seas protection treaty that entered into force in January 2026 still needs national implementation before it can deliver measurable conservation benefits.